


Home

by tomlinseraph



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmasy, Fluff, M/M, young!larry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 01:59:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomlinseraph/pseuds/tomlinseraph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry wasn’t brought up like kids his age normally were; he was raised in a home for boys. Louis loved giving Harry things, he loved seeing Harry’s face unexpectedly light up, as if Harry hadn’t ever been given anything before in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first thing ever posted, im just trying it out, this can be found on wattpad, barely edited

Harry was dirty. His curls were never combed, he'd go days without showering, and it showed. His clothes couldn’t always be washed and sometimes he went to school in the exact same clothes three days in a row, with the same stains.  
Harry was skinny. Sometimes the lunch ladies would slip him an apple or the teachers would offer their yogurt because only on good days he had lunch money. His clothes was much too big for him, they were all hand-me-down's.  
Harry was never prepared. He was almost always cold in the winter from lack of layers. He went to school with a duffle bag because he didn’t have anything else. He didn’t normally wear socks and he never went to any field trips or after-school activities, the teacher never saw his parents and there was no reliable contact information for them.  
Harry was just kind of there. He was more independent than an eleven-year-old should be. He hardly talked, unless it was to answer a question, which he almost always did, because he was smart. But for the most part, Harry was reserved and didn’t look to socialize or play or do anything kids his age would normally want to do. Harry wasn’t brought up like kids his age normally were; he was raised in a home for boys.

It’s a half way home. It’s for either orphans or delinquents that just managed to slip by the system. For kids who didn’t fit into adoption clinics or correction camps. It’s for the kids left over when day cares, boarding schools, and/or orphanariums hit their quota and they couldn’t put them anywhere else. It’s for kids whose parents have gone to jail, those with no legal guardian. It’s for the forgotten ones...  
Things are scarce in these places, where Harry lives. He’s in a small house with about fifteen other rowdy and rambunctious boys that range from seven to seventeen years of age. Harry was caught in the middle at eleven. They had a not-so-nice guardian who made them all work and do chores. Sal, they called him, didn’t have enough money for them all because he spent what the government gave him on his farm, which is where the boys worked. Harry found it extremely hard to cope because he was so interested in his studies but he was expected to get his work done. Sal would almost never let him read a book in peace or take his homework seriously, Harry didn’t let it get to him.

He was sat at the back of the classroom, already getting out his homework that was due that day. His fingers were still numb and shaking from being outside, all he had on was a thing long-sleeved shirt with really baggy jeans and worn out shoes, he was freezing and it looked like it might snow later. The other kids were chatting since the final bell hadn’t rung, but the teacher called all of their attention.

"Class, we have a new student. Allow him to introduce himself." She said, and everyone got quiet.  
"My names Lewis The Tommo Tomlinson and I like a good game of footie. Not footsie, but footie." There were a few murmurs of laughter.  
"You can go sit in the back next to Harry." She pointed.

Immediately, Harry's attention was drawn because he heard his name, he lifted his head from his desk and saw the boy, who smiled at him but Harry just stared. Louis set down his big Spiderman backpack that was jammed packed with what looked like a healthy lunch and brand new school supplies. He sat himself down in the desk next to Harry and shuffled around to get comfortable in his much-too-thick jacket that was over yet another thinner jacket over a light sweater. He kindly held his hand out.

"Hi, Harry! I’m Lewis!" He smiled brightly.  
Harry stared at him for a moment. "I know, you just told everyone that." Harry dragged the words out in his morbid voice; he didn’t even take Louis' hand.  
"Oh, er, right." Louis said awkwardly, letting his hand fall. "Of course."  
Harry turned back to the book in his hands, waiting for the final bell to ring.  
"You know," Louis started talking to him again, "I’m twelve already! I’m supposed to be a year above, but I’m not so good with my maths, plus I just switched schools, so now I’m here."  
"Oh." Harry furrowed his brow, he wasn’t sure what to say.  
"Yeah, I just came from Doncaster. This is my second time moving." He sighed. Harry still didn’t say anything and only stared. "I bet you’re eleven!" Louis insisted again.  
"Yeah."  
"See, I knew it! Its cause I’m a year older." Louis smiled, trying to be kind and start some sort of conversation but Harry wasn’t having it. "So how are you in maths?" He asked.

The final bell rang and the teacher called attention once again. Harry looked up and didn’t even acknowledge Louis had said anything. Things went as normal after that. Harry went back into his habits of keeping to himself and only answering the questions the teacher asked them as a collective. Recess came around and Harry sat in his spot beside the fence, directly under the sun, like he usually did when it got cold. Louis followed him around for a bit and Harry was afraid he was going to try and talk to him again, but a few other boys came over and invited them to a quick match of football and well, Louis couldn’t resist.  
At lunch, Louis sat with a few of the kids he had played with. Harry ate his lame peanut-butter sandwich that he traded for homework and continued his book. He could hear Louis' loud voice from across the mess hall and he found himself thinking about the rambunctious little boy. Harry couldn’t find a proper explanation as to why Louis had wanted to talk to him or why Harry was thinking about him in the first place. Harry tried pushing it away, but it was still itching in the back of his mind.  
The end of the day came around and they had the last five minutes to do whatever they wanted. Harry got working on his science notes from the text-book, seeing as he hardly got any work done at the home. Louis had another idea though.

"You must be really smart, Harry. You know all the answers."  
"Not all of them." He shrugged.  
"You're really quiet too." Louis inferred. Harry only shrugged again. Louis sighed and began shrugging on his thick coat since they were going outside again and it had started to snow. "You might want to get your jacket on." Louis warned him.  
Harry stared at him blankly, "I don’t have one."  
"You don’t-?" Louis couldn’t believe it. "You went to school like that? You don’t even have socks!" Louis cried. "You must be freezing!"  
Harry’s cheeks turned red, embarrassed, and he cringed deeper into his shell but didn’t say anything.  
Louis was oblivious. "You know what?" He took off his really thick jacket and took off the thinner one underneath that that was still pretty thick and warm from having been worn by him all day. "Here, you can have this one. I get too hot with two jackets, it’s not comfy. But my mom makes me." He said to Harry.  
Harry only stared, he had been offered things before out of pity, but Louis was a stranger, he wasn’t sure if he should take it, he wasn’t sure if he was being serious. "What?"  
"You heard me." Louis said, standing up and walking over to drape it around Harry's shoulders. "Take it. You can give it back later, but it’s snowing right now and you'll be cold without one."

Harry curiously took it; he wasn’t sure how he felt. It was a warm tingling at the pit of his stomach, one that he had never felt before. He wasn’t sure what to say or do at first, he wasn’t sure what was considered socially appropriate in this situation. Does he just say thank you? Does he smile? Does he hug Louis? He wasn’t sure, no one had ever been this directly nice at him. The teachers would give him sympathetic smiles from afar, but Louis was all up in his face and insisting. "I-I-" Harry stuttered, "Thanks. Thank you." He said, very unsure of himself.  
"You're welcome! Just bring it back and don’t forget yours next time!" Louis pointed a motherly finger at him. He himself often forgot to wear his jacket once or twice and he picked up the habit from his own mother. The bell rang and Louis waved goodbye to him, with a big smile on his face. That feeling crept up on Harry again and he had no idea what it was.

+

Harry had slept with the jacket that night. He was really just that cold and it kept him warm and it gave him that funny feeling when he thought about how Louis had given it to him. He still didn’t understand what was going on, didn’t know if accepting it was even right or if saying thank you was enough. Still though, he went a long with it, thinking that as long as Louis seemed ok with it, then it was okay. Harry still couldn’t believe Louis had talked to him as long as he did, the other kids got bored of Harry fairly quickly and learned to leave him alone, he wondered if Louis persistence was a good thing or not. He wondered if this mean Louis wanted Harry to talk back. He wondered why his stomach felt funny when Louis was around…

The next day at school Harry went in Louis' jacket. As soon as his neighbor sat down next to him, Harry tried engaging in conversation. "I thought your name was Lewis."  
Louis looked at him strangely, "It is."  
"Your jacket tag says Louis though."  
Louis shrugged, "I like Lewis."  
Harry shook his head, "But your name is Louis, you have to stay consistent with it." Harry argued. He wasn’t at all obsessively compulsive, but he did like having his ducks in a row and everything had to go by name, because why else would it go in any other way? Harry was used to order; he was used to rules and facts and didn’t understand Louis might have just wanted to change it because he liked it better. No, that didn’t make sense to Harry.  
"I don’t have to." Louis pouted, feeling a bit undermined because he knew what consistent meant, he knew he knew it, he just couldn’t remember.  
Harry just stared and didn’t say anything else, he didn’t want to upset Louis and wasn’t sure what the social protocol was after that, so he sat silently, wondering if Louis would say anything, but he didn’t. Not until the end of the day again.

"Did you forget your jacket again? Is that why you’re wearing mine?"  
"Um..." What was he to say then?  
"That’s fine." Louis waved it off. "Tomorrow, when I say remember your jacket, remember to bring both of ours, so I can get it back and you're not cold."

Harry didn’t even nod.

+

The next week and a half went by like this, either boy would attempt to make conversation but Harry would always find a dead end where he didn’t know what to say because, well, he just didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t had the need to keep a conversation going, ever, and now he was at a loss to do. He saw some of the other kids laugh and nudge each other and playfully hit, but he didn’t know when that was appropriate. He didn’t know if Louis was his friend or if he just pitied him, he didn’t understand if Louis even liked him at all, but he liked to think Louis was his only friend anyway. Louis was the only one Harry tried making an effort talking to, so that made him special.

“Did you know,” Harry said randomly one morning, “That a crocodiles tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth instead of the bottom?” He thought that was quite interesting and he thought Louis might find it interesting too.  
Louis just stared at him, now he didn’t know what to say. “Oh, that’s cool.” He responded lamely  
Harry nodded, defeated. He heard the tone in Louis’ voice and told himself he was better off staying quiet.  
“I like crocodiles.” Louis said quickly, he didn’t want Harry to feel bad. “I’ve seen the Hulk wrestle one!”  
Harry nodded, “That’s cool too.” Seeing Louis smile like that made his stomach churn.

Harry was still so unsure of himself, some days he would sit there and just stare at Louis because he wanted to talk to him, but wasn’t sure what to say. Wasn’t sure what to tell him or what Louis might like to hear. Louis would notice and blush, shifting around in his seat. “Did you want something Harry?” He asked in the nicest tone possible.  
Harry was caught off guard by those bright blue eyes and spat out the first thing in his mind, “Its one in the morning in Hawaii right now.” Harry blurted, it had just turned eleven in the morning where they were.  
Louis looked at him a bit odd, but smiled, “That’s cool, I didn’t know that.”  
Harry nodded, enjoying his smile while it lasted.  
“You know there are volcanoes there?” Louis asked him. “And lava? But you can surf there too!”  
“Yeah.” Harry nodded, because he did know that.  
Louis’ smile got brighter; he thought it was funny that Harry took everything so seriously because that was a rhetorical question. Of course, that’s to say he thought it was cute, he wasn’t making fun of him, he couldn’t ever do that to Harry. “Yeah, I’d like to go there someday.”  
“Me too.” Harry said in a quieter voice. If it meant he could go with Louis, he’d go in a heartbeat.

As much fun Harry was having talking to Louis, he got nervous again when the end of the week came and Louis approached him about his jacket again.

"Harry, you can’t just keep my jacket, its mine." Louis huffed, he wasn’t particularly mad, just frustrated that Harry could be so forgetful to not bring a jacket.  
Harry didn’t know what to say. Louis sounded mad. Was he mad at Harry? Well what was he to say to that? Harry blushed a deep red and looked down at his hands, debating what someone normal would do.  
"You heard me right, Harry?" Louis asked. "I wanted to be nice and make sure you weren’t cold, but I’m going to need my jacket back, and you’re going to need to start bringing yours."  
"Okay." Harry said silently, starting to slip off the jacket.  
"No, no." Louis shook his head, frustrated, "You’ll still be cold! I don’t want you to be cold! But I want my jacket. Just please, please bring your own so I can take mine back. Tell your mum, shell remember for you, mums always do."  
Harry hugged himself tight and blushed an even deeper. "I don’t have a mum." He muttered quietly.  
Louis stood there a second, feeling a sorry and a little ashamed of himself. Maybe Harry's mum died, or maybe he just had two dads, either way, he felt bad. "Then tell your dad." He said lowering his voice.  
"I don’t have a dad either."  
Now Louis was really at a loss, he didn’t want to say anything to upset Harry because god knows Louis would be sad without his mum and dad. "Well who takes care of you?"  
"Sal is supposed to, but he doesn’t really."  
"Sal?" Louis scrunched his nose.  
"He’s supposed to take care of all the other boys there, but he doesn’t really."  
Did Harry have brothers? Louis wondered, "What boys?"  
"The other boys in the home." Harry said again, very quietly. He didn’t like talking about it, but he figured he liked Louis, he liked that Louis talked to him even though he knew he was weird. He figured out what that feeling was in his stomach. So, Harry figured Louis was the only person he'll ever get to talk about it with.

When Harry said home, when he said /the/ home, and not just regular home like Louis does, it made Louis' brain make the connection. Now he knew why Harry was always unkempt and didn’t seem to have much, or eat much, and that’s why he didn’t have a jacket and probably why he was so quiet, he saw a movie about a home once and it wasn’t a very good one.

"Oh." Louis said. Now he was at a loss of words, he didn’t really know what it was like but seeing Harry made him think it couldn’t have been all that great. A million questions popped into his head but instead he said, "Why don’t you just keep the jacket? It'll be like a Christmas present!" He said excitedly, seeing as their winter vacation was only a week away, but his tree was already up and Christmas lights were already on, so it was pretty damn close to Christmas to Louis.

Harry stayed quiet for a moment before uttering, "I don’t think I've ever gotten one of those." And Louis smiled to himself because he was Harry's first Christmas gift giver, and he was glad it was a jacket in this cold season.

+

Suddenly Louis became fixated on the fact Harry came from a home. That’s all he ever thought about anymore, he was curious. He didn’t want to be rude though and ask a lot of questions. Instead he wondered what Harry did when he got home, wondered what his room was like, if he shared it with anyone. Picturing a much worn down house, Louis started to feel more and more sorry and he figured maybe Harry never talked because he was just always so sad, and maybe all Harry needed was a friend to make him happy. So Louis set a goal for himself every day to do something nice for Harry, to say something nice and see that surprised expression Harry’s face makes when he doesn’t expect you to be nice to him. His goal by the end of the week before break was to make him laugh.

"You know, I really like the color of your eyes." Louis would tell him.  
Harry scrunched his eye brows as if he were thinking really hard before nodding with a soft, "Um, thank you."  
Louis sighed, maybe he just wasn’t so good with compliments.

"I’m glad you took the jacket, It looks much better on you." Louis told him later that same day.  
"Thank you." This time Harry said it without as much hesitation.  
"Do you need socks too?" Louis asked him.  
"Um..." Harry didn’t know which answer was supposed to be given. Yes made him feel embarrassed and No made him feel like he was lying.  
"I can bring you some! I have plenty anyway." Louis insisted.  
"Um, okay." He nodded thankfully.

Louis brought them the next day and Harry thanked him three different times.  
"You know, you're really cute. If you ever need anything, I’m sure I can get it for you."  
Harry knew that was a compliment, but he was still shy and embarrassed and the funny feeling in his stomach was messing with his head. He didn’t say anything, but he did smile at Louis, which was a strange sensation because he can’t remember the last time he smiled. It was a toothless grin, but it was a start. In fact, Louis' stomach was starting to feel weird too now.

Louis loved giving Harry things, he loved seeing Harry’s face unexpectedly light up, as if Harry hadn’t ever been given anything before in his life. Louis gave him a beanie the day after that and Friday, they shared Louis’ lunch. Harry was enjoying the extra attention and for the first time he was beginning to feel safe and comfortable around Louis and he started thinking less about his actions because it seemed as though no matter how weird he was acting, Louis was still right there by his side. He smiled more, he wasn’t as afraid to talk around him, Harry was happy. Louis was just as happy, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. They each took a half of Louis' turkey sandwich and were sharing the grapes as they sat under the warmth of the sun. Louis still remembered his goal.

"Hey Harry, Knock Knock."  
Harry was glad he had heard these jokes before and knew what to say. "Who's there?"  
"Boo."  
"Boo, who?"  
Louis faked a pouting face and curled into Harry. He hugged him for the first time, and Harry froze because he can’t remember the last time he was hugged. Louis wrapped his arms tightly around the younger boy and pressed his cheek to his, breathing beside his ear, then buried his face into Harry’s shoulder and just took in his scent, because even though Harry didn’t smell that good, it was still Harry.  
"Wh-wh..." Harry couldn’t speak, he didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what was going on. Louis held on though, and Harry’s hands shook for a moment before he dropped his grape and wrapped his arms around Louis as well. Harry face felt hot and his stomach was doing the thing it does when Louis was around, but he was just so happy and his eyes started to tear up because he couldn’t remember anyone ever caring this much about him and wanting to hug him.  
Louis heard him sniffle and pulled back confused. "Harry?" He asked softly. "Why are you crying? I-it was just a joke! I hugged you because you said boo-hoo, but I didn’t think you'd actually cry!"  
Harry was smiling through his tears and then the best thing happened; Harry laughed. He let out a strangled laugh, but Louis still found it to be music to his ears. His smile was so big it showed his dimples and dull straight teeth. His smile was like the sunshine peeking through the snow and it warmed Louis' heart because it had to be the most beautiful thing Louis had ever seen.  
Harry sniffled again, but was laughing as he said, "No one’s ever hugged me before, or told me a knock knock joke, or been so-so nice to me." His cries took over and he hid his face into Louis shoulder again, he didn’t worry about what Louis might think because he felt like he was home when he was with Louis, so anything goes. Louis didn’t mind, he hugged Harry tighter and told him it was all going to be okay.  
"Want to come to my birthday tomorrow? I'll make my mum come pick you up."  
Harry nodded so hard he thought he'd get whiplash.

+

Harry didn’t have much money, but it was almost Christmas, in fact it was five days away, and Sal always gave them all a few pounds and told them not to bother him with what they wanted for Christmas. With his little bit of money, Harry went out and bought Louis a gift, bothering one of the older boys to drive him to the store. His birthday was Christmas Eve, but the party was held on the twenty-first. Harry ran into his room with his gift and grabbed some newspaper to wrap it with, hoping Louis wouldn’t mine, but he knew he wouldn’t. Sal never really cared when the boys came and went, so when Mrs. Tomlinson came knocking at the door looking for a Harry Styles, he didn’t care. Louis was with his mum and he pushed his self through the threshold to get a look inside. Instantaneously, you could tell it wasn’t the best living conditions. Harry ran down stairs with Louis' socks, beanie, and jacket, the same old jeans, but a different shirt. He managed to take one form the older boys and hoped Louis liked it, it was striped.

"Harry, Harry! Are you ready?" Louis called up the stairs. There were other boys walking around but Louis ignored them.  
"I’m ready." Harry said quietly. He was still on edge at the home, because it wasn’t home. It wasn’t Louis.

They drove back and Louis' mum, being very concerned, asked Harry how he liked it at the home and what he did and what kind of person Sal was. She was quite confused as to why Harry had on Louis' jacket and what looked like his beanie. Harry was stuttering and sweating and he tried pretending he was talking to Louis as he answered, but this was an adult, what if he said something wrong?

"Mum, he doesn’t want to talk about it." Louis snapped immediately. She was quiet after that. Louis and Harry sat quietly in the back, Louis smiled at him and Harry couldn’t help but smile back, they looked at each other as if only they shared the greatest secret on earth.  
"I got you something." Harry whispered, giggling slightly. "I wrapped it myself!" He said a little louder. Louis took a hold of it. "It’s even got a little bow on it!" Harry smiled again, pointing at it.  
"S'great." Louis muttered, looking at the neatly folded newspaper, and it really was.

+

By the end of the party, they were all tired and worn out and stuffed with candy and cake. Louis' mind was spinning, he was only a few weeks new to the school but most of the class showed up, mostly the boys he had played football with. Louis mingled and talked and played, and even played a few games of footie while Harry watched from the side, but he still made sure he was next to Harry. Harry had crept back into his shell, he didn’t like big crowds, but there were still little pockets of moments where the whole earth stopped rotating just for them because they had caught each other’s eye and smiled at each other. Their last guest had just left and Louis was swimming in his gifts, but only Harry’s gift was still clutched in his hand. It was a small key chain that had a silver L, Louis loved it. Louis requested that Harry spend the night and his mum couldn’t say no because it was his birthday and let’s face it, Louis was persistent and made sure to get his way. He also begged that Harry spent Christmas with them and his mum only gave him a worried look so the matter was dropped. She did however; ask Harry if he was up for either foster care or adoption and asked if he would want to maybe spend Christmas with them. Louis was partially kidding when he asked, but his mother seemed serious and Louis wanted to ask if they could adopt Harry, but he knew that wasn’t the right time or place. Instead, they went up in Louis' room, curled up on his Power Ranger bed spread with the lights still on, and laid down together for the next hour, waiting until the rest of the house fell asleep.

"I love my present, Haz, I really do." Louis smiled, setting the little key chain on the table beside his bed. "I'll have to put it on my back pack later.”  
Harry nodded.  
"Hey, you know what?"  
"What?"  
"We have the Nightmare Before Christmas on DVD, we can go watch it down stairs if we're really quiet!"  
Harry didn’t know what that was but he smiled and nodded. Very quietly, the boys crept down stairs, careful not to wake anyone, and Louis started setting up the TV so they could watch the movie.  
"The movie case is over there." Louis pointed to the far corner of his living room, "Can you get the movie, please?"

Harry nodded and started looking, he didn’t know what the cover looked like but at least he knew how to read. Still though, he had to go through every movie there because he had never really seen any of them. Harry didn’t even notice how quiet it had gotten, he didn’t even think to wonder where or what Louis was up to. He felt a small pair of hands come up behind him and touch his back.  
"Harry." He said softly.  
Harry jumped at least three feet in the air, startled by the surprise.  
"Louis." He squeaked.  
Louis had the urge to tell him how cute he was yet again but he decided against that. "Harry." He said again, softer.  
"Louis." Harry said in the same tone.  
"Haz." He giggled.  
"Lou."

They both started giggling, but that quieted down when Louis moved closer and closer to Harry so that their noses were just inches apart. Harry looked absolutely stunning with his dimpled smile that was being lit with Christmas light dapple and the smell of cookies on his breath. Louis took a quick look up to make sure it was still there, and then ducked his head down, moving his lips closer to Harry’s. Except Harry pulled back, confused. He cocked his neck back and furrowed his eyes at Louis. Louis took his hand and shushed him, not blaming Harry for being new at this. He shushed him in a soft silky tone, as if telling him everything was going to be alright, and then moved in closer to try and steal a kiss for a second try. Except Harry moved back again.

"Wh-what are you doing, Louis?" Harry asked innocently, genuinely confused.  
Louis groaned in embarrassment and pulled back, taking a long stride backwards and hiding his face in his hands. "There was mistletoe and I was trying to kiss you, I’m sorry.” He hid his face deeper; he was ashamed, he should have known Harry only wanted to be friends.  
"You know mistletoes aren’t romantic at all, they’re like parasites to trees." Harry said matter-of-factly.  
Louis peeked up from his covered mask and frowned, "What?"  
"If you're going to kiss me, don’t do it under a mistletoe, it’s not romantic. Mistletoes suck the life out of-Mmph" Harry didn’t get to finish because Louis dragged him out of the corner away from the mistletoe and cupped his face gently so that they could properly kiss. 

As far as magical Christmas kisses go, theirs was by far the best. Louis was so passionate and slow and caring because maybe he had kissed a few girls before, but Harry as different, Harry was special. Harry was in shock at first because wow Louis wanted to kiss him, he practically set this up, and Harry was just so star struck at the fact this was happening because he figured no one would want to kiss him ever. But Louis did, and he guided Harry though it and pulled a part for them to take a breath and to tell him how cute he was, because Harry deserved to hear that every day for the rest of his life, and Louis wanted to be the only one to tell him. But as soon as he finished that last syllable, he leaned in and kissed him again because to Louis, Harry tasted like Happiness and to Harry, Louis tasted like home.

But really they were the same thing.


End file.
